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The 10 Manliest Movies Ever Made

What makes a movie manly? Is it action? Adventure? Violence? It is hard to define what exactly makes a movie manly. Some say it is all of these things. I say there is more to movie manliness. There is some x-factor that only an elite group of movies have managed to capture. These are the movies that set the bar for all movies seeking to be manly.

Found this manly list on The Gentle Manual

10. Braveheart

William Wallace and his Scotsmen may have won the award for scene most likely to inspire you to act out with violence on things you feel passionately about. This movie had everything: A story with love, loss, sadness, passion, rage, war and someone getting back what was rightfully theirs – all through adversity and hardships by an unfair opponent. A man leading an army that’s certain they’re outnumbered, but still fights to the death for what they believe in. This is arguably the best constructed manly movie of all-time.

9. Enter the Dragon

Not an insanely intricate plot, with Bruce Lee contracted to spy on a crime boss via a martial arts tournament. Realistically though, when this movie was being made, there probably wasn’t crew on set talking about academy awards. Just an all out ass-kicking hour and a half of martial arts madness. A blueprint movie that paved the way for martial arts in cinema.

8. The Godfather

This might be the classiest manly movie ever made. A downright outtake of men in power taking the necessary steps to keep it all in the family. A ruthless depiction of what happens when you don’t pay your respects when they’re due to the wrong kind of people. Don Corleone and crew might do something terrible if they didn’t make this list.

7. Terminator

Since Arnold Schwarzenegger has almost corned the market on manly movies, this decision came down to two things. First, the premise of Terminator is as awesome as you can get. A cyborg from the future sent back to kill Sarah Connor to prevent a future takeover by the machines? Yes. I think so. Secondly, it coined this famous phrase: “I’ll be back.”

6. Dirty Harry

Naturally, leaving Clint Eastwood of this list would be borderline blasphemy. So in honor of this living legend and pioneer of cinema justice, The Gentle Manual had to go with Dirty Harry on this one. Police Inspector Harry Callahan making his streets safe by any means necessary while trying to hunt down a psychopath killer. So many memorable quotes and more than enough man-fueled action here to make our list.

5. Predator

Of course in any movie where you throw commandos in the middle of the jungle with a ton of ammo and automatic weapons, there’s minimal chance of anything girly going down. Add in a creature from a much more technologically sophisticated planet hunting them down like dogs and you have a recipe for a bad-ass manly movie.

4. Scarface

What could be said about this movie can’t always be said about any classic film: It changed everything. A man coming from nothing, rising to power then falling from grace. In this case, with shootouts, lots of money and women in between.

3. Gladiator

Now talk about about some pure, primal carnage for a man to really connect with. You might as well grab a steak and order it bloody as hell, turn on Gladiator while wearing chain mail in your living room and just be one with the way of the time period. Survive or die. This film would certainly make an iron-hearted man out of you.

2. Die Hard

No one will ever forget when they were introduced to John McClane. This flick had enough explosions, gun play and kick-ass scenes that when it debuted in 1988, most people hadn’t yet to see so much action with such a terrific storyline.

1. Fight Club

There’s nothing much manlier than a bare knuckle, underground men’s boxing club that isn’t allowed to be spoken about. The thrill of the sport creates a camaraderie between a crew of men that needed something to supplement their lives of boredom. Fight Club definitely takes a front seat in this category.